


Aster

by br0kenc0mpasss (brokencompasss)



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: ATEEZ - Freeform, Assassins & Hitmen, Gift, Important cameos, M/M, mafia, minsung - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:21:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28451550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokencompasss/pseuds/br0kenc0mpasss
Summary: Han Jisung was good at his job, he thought it was easy even. Until they give him the mission to end a nice guy.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67
Collections: Secret Santa 2020 Fanfic





	Aster

**Author's Note:**

  * For [leefrecklix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leefrecklix/gifts).



> This is a gift for Gio. I never thought I was ever going to write a MinSung, but here we are! Thank you for the challenge! I hope you enjoy it <3!

_ His stomach grumbled but Han Jisung knew he wasn’t hungry, his body was just reacting to the delicious smell of food laid in front of him. It was a big table, a beautiful banquet, and in any other situation he would be digging in.  _

_ Not that night, though. _

_ That night was reserved for watching as the man sitting in front of him slowly stopped moving. With a loud thud, his face met the steak on the plate in front of him, his well-combed grayish hair facing Jisung, red sauce splashed on his expensive suit. _

_ Jisung stood up with a sigh and pulled a pair of latex gloves off the pocket of his trousers, wearing them as the sound of his slow steps were swallowed by the dark wooden floor of the living room. Calmly, carefully, he pressed his index and middle fingers against the man’s neck to check his pulse. _

_ Dead. _

_ Cyanide.  _

_ He had skillfully mixed it in the wine some minutes ago while Mr. Pak was distracted explaining to him the origin of the paintings hanging on the wall, and watched in awe as he showed the first symptoms of poisoning. The heavy breathing, the obvious dizziness, sweating. Jisung was used to it, the ever-present scene in his line of work, but it was always amusing nonetheless. He takes the gloves off and looks at his wristwatch pointing to a few minutes past nine. Mr. Pak’s wife and their servants will arrive around eleven from the Christmas shopping trip they took earlier, and Jisung would love to stay around and watch Mr. Pak’s now widow feign shock and pretend she’s deeply upset by her husband’s death, but he needs to fly the scene. _

_ It’s funny when the crime mastermind manages to pretend they’re surprised by the outcome of what they paid him for. _

_ Jisung puts his long coat on and leaves how he came in: through the front door. He was welcomed in the mansion, he was a fellow business partner, or so Mr. Pak thought. On his way to the car, he makes a phone call. “Cameras are ready to be erased, have fun! Oh, and check when Mr. Pak will be buried, send the usual flowers.” He pauses as he listens to the other person on the phone and hops inside his car. Jisung sighs. “Yellow carnation, yes. Thank you, I’ll see you soon.” He hangs up and takes his leave, turning the radio on before he drives away. _

  
  


__ Jisung lays low for twenty-four hours, that’s their rule after a job. So that’s what he does, binge-watching cooking shows on Netflix and stuffing his face with takeouts and ice cream. At some point, he cleans up his apartment, vacuums every room, and does the laundry. He’s bored by lunchtime, so he plays some video games. 

Nobody calls him. 

The news talk briefly about Mr. Pak’s mysterious death, the body will still undergo expertise and autopsy for they think it could’ve been a heart attack. The news mentioned the cameras didn’t show anything out of the ordinary, and Jisung chuckles, making a mental note to congratulate their hackers. He turns his big tv off when he’s done watching everything he wants and stretches his body on his couch. 

He orders food, takes his time eating, browses through social media, and takes a quick nap. By the time he wakes up the night is falling and he’s hungry again. Jisung makes himself a sandwich, showers, and heads to bed. His twenty-four hours are almost over, and by morning he’s expected to report back at Miroh Corp.

Jisung chuckles to himself as he sets the alarm, wondering how long it will take until they all have to leave the country, or get caught. It’s a risky business, but it pays well, and Jisung wouldn’t have chosen to be anything else.

The office is located in the middle of Gangnam, among investment offices and high profile executives, they take a whole floor. There's a reception desk with the “Miroh - Crime Scene Cleaning Services” shining in big silver letters on the wall, and a smiley young man to guide the newcomer either left or right.

To the right, people will find a small but organized office, with clean desks and posters that talk about the importance of getting rid of biohazard. Whenever someone is seen there, they’re very well taken care of. There’s always fresh coffee and tea, water and snacks to make customers feel better about hiring the services of Miroh to clean up a murder, suicide, or accident scene. It’s an ugly job, most people would rather someone else handle it.

Oh, and they’re very good at cleaning up.

If the customer is taken to the left, though, things are different. There’s a safe door separating the reception desk to the main office, where the lights aren’t as bright, and there’s one meeting room. All walls are soundproof and nobody offers anyone a coffee, tea, or water. There’s a long corridor with a few locked doors, one of them leading to their small shooting training room, and the other to a gym. The last door leads to Bang Chan’s office, where Jisung finds himself now.

“So how boring was this one?” Chan asks, a smile on his lips as he flips through some papers, his black hair parted on the side, loose tie, and dark circles under his eyes. Jisung is pretty sure his friend never sleeps. “It was one of the most boring ones. The only excitement I felt was to know I was getting rid of an abuser. Did his wife contact you yet?” Jisung munches on the bagel he bought on his way there.

Chan shakes his head. “Not yet, I don’t expect to hear from her until she gets her hands on his money. Besides all the companies and possessions he left, he also had good life insurance. She will become a millionaire overnight.” He smiles, dimples showing when he watches Jisung eat. “And we have a new job for you already, sounds more exciting than this last one.”

“Are you sending me to China?” Jisung asks when he swallows, taking a sip of the coffee he brought with him. Chan laughs and shakes his head, this is not a normal occurrence, and Jisung knows. “I miss Hyunjin, just a tiny bit!”

“I do too, but he has a very delicate task to finish in Beijing. I can’t risk rushing him, but he should be back in a couple of weeks,” Chan puts the papers down and slides them towards Jisung. “And this one is a very special case too. I will need you to be extremely careful.” 

Jisung leans closer, eyes scanning a man’s picture. He doesn’t look much older than them, he has brown hair and a good bone structure. “Who is this?” Taking another bite of his bagel he looks at Chan. The older sighs and leans back against his chair. “His name is Lee Minho, he is from Gimpo, and he’s kind of dangerous. Minho used to work for the jopok there, but something went down and he came to Seoul. He brought with him a flash drive containing all the information the mafia doesn’t want leaking out, he has names, addresses, receipts, everything. He could bring the biggest companies in the country down if he handed that flash drive to the right person. The thing is: he still didn’t. We need you to retrieve it, and end him.”

Jisung nods, digesting everything Chan said. “But if he was part of the jopok, who are well known for silencing who they want silent, why don’t they go get him?”

Chan’s smile is a mix of apprehension and amusement. “They can’t. He killed one of the hitmen hired to get him and sent the other back with the message that if they tried again he would out everyone. He knows the jopok men, he knows how they act, and he’s well trained enough to rip their throats open if they come after him.” He chuckles. “I’m worried but I also have the feeling you’ll have the time of your life.”

And he knows he will. Jisung loves the thrill of the hunt, and when his opponents pose a challenge he gets even more motivated to get the job done. “What do I have to know about him?”

“He’s currently in University, he is attending veterinary school. You’ll be the transfer student, get close to him, gain his trust. Lee Minho is not an easy target.” Chan is about to add more information, but the door to his office opens with Changbin and Seungmin stepping inside, both clad in white onesies, carrying a utility bag that is discarded on the floor. “Hey, you’re back early!”

“Early?” Seungmin gasps. “We spent four hours cleaning, and they didn’t want us to get rid of the carpet. We had to explain all about biohazard, a thousand times.”

“Good thing Seungmin was with me, or I would have flipped my shit,” Changbin says and sits on the sofa in the corner. He has a cup of coffee in his hand, indicating he probably bullied Jeongin from the front desk until he got him one.

Jisung winces and finishes his bagel. “Did they want you to wash the blood off the carpet and leave it there?” Changbin chuckles and Seungmin sighs heavily. “Ah, Sungie,” Seungmin sits by Changbin, looking at him with the eyes of someone who has seen way too much too early in the day. It would be so nice if it was just blood.”

Chan makes a sound like he really didn’t need to hear that one, and Jisung scrunches up his nose, glad he’s done eating. “Do I want to know? No. No, I don’t.”

He stands up, taking the file Chan showed him. “I have to go to Felix for a job, it was nice talking to you about human parts staining a carpet. Really nice talk.” Jisung stops on his way to the door and turns to the three of them. “Channie hyung, as soon as Felix gets me into Uni, I’ll let you know. And someone, please put those in the trash, I’m in a bit of a hurry!” He points to the empty coffee cup and the napkins he used to hold the bagel. Jisung leaves before someone murders him right there.

  
  


Felix had his own room, it was a dark secluded area, soundproofed and equipped with the best computers in the market. It was fairly easy to find him there, he barely ever left anyway. If he wasn’t hacking accounts and creating fake IDs, documents, and passports for Miroh’s members, he was immersed in some new game. Whenever he was free, Jisung would join him, Felix is a delight to be around. 

He stops by the door and knocks before he turns the handle, coming inside to find Felix sitting on a big chair, headphones off, and a big screen with codes in front of him. “Hey!” he throws Jisung a big smile as he stands up to pull him into a hug. “I heard you were getting back today,” he says when he pulls back, holding Jisung by his shoulders, his bleached hair sticking in several directions.

“Got back today and Chan hyung handed me a new job already. How have you been?” Jisung pats his arm and sits on the empty chair beside him. His friend nods, like he knows what Jisung is talking about. When he sat down again he turned to him fully. “He told me he would. You should’ve seen the men that hired us. There were five of them, very intimidating, all dressed in suits. They looked like businessmen, but Channie said they were the jopok clan from Gimpo.”

Jisung nods, glad he wasn’t around when they came.

“Yes, I’m afraid that’s the case I will be working on.” Jisung hands Felix the file, “I need to be added to this dude’s class in university. He’s going to be a veterinarian, and I need to get close to him.” Felix frowns, flipping through the pages in the file. 

He looks at Jisung. “But wouldn’t it be easier to just snipe him? He sounds dangerous.” Felix is concerned, he always is. Whenever one of them leaves on a mission he worries. The day Hyunjin hopped on a plane to Beijing, Felix bawled his eyes out, he’s just cute like that.

Jisung chuckles, “I would love to snipe him and get this over with, but he has something we need to recover. So I need to get close to him, find the thing, and then un-live him.” He grins. “Sounds fun, doesn’t it?”

Felix makes a face and starts typing on his computer, the screen with the codes disappearing. “I will try to help you as much as possible,” he says and several screens start to pop up. He doesn’t know how Felix does that, but he looks very cool, all concentrated and doing something that would most likely put all of them in jail. “I added you to all of his classes, you’re coming from Gwang-Ju, ok? Your grades are good, not exceptional, I’m adding them here. I see that he’s living in the university dormitories, but he doesn’t have a roommate.” He looks at Jisung, questioning him.

He sighs, thinking. He would love to be able to stay in his own apartment, sleep in his bed and enjoy the comfort money has given him. But this guy has a very precious flash drive he needs to acquire, it would be easier to have the green light to look for it among his belongings when he’s not around. It’s a tough decision that doesn’t make him extremely happy. “Add me as his new roommate. As soon as I find this flash drive, he’s dead.”

And Jisung means it. He has the feeling this one specific job won’t be fun at all.

  
  


Jisung had never set foot in a university before in his life. His life before Miroh had been a tad too messy for him to even dream of getting a degree. So he focused on being good at what would get him paid. He was small, quick and could be quiet enough to come unnoticed, making it easy for him to sneak in and out of places with almost a one hundred percent success rate. Almost, because Bang Chan crossed paths with him. He was lucky he didn’t go to jail, and that Chan was actually a very nice and understanding man with his own motivation to lay under the radar. Truth be told, he could’ve ended Jisung’s “career” if he wanted to, but according to him, everyone deserves a second chance. The then police officer in training is a firm believer that some people just don’t have a choice, and when they do, they should choose what’s right. 

Jisung never got to ask him why he left the academy to form an elite group of hitmen. It seemed invasive and too controversial, and Jisung didn’t know if he wanted to test how deep the water was when it came to that. All he knew was that one day he was struggling to decide if he was going to have lunch or dinner, and the other he was getting four-digit daily deposits in his bank account.

All he knew was that he had a job and people he was loyal to.

And still had no idea how to behave inside a university.

The room he was supposed to share with Lee Minho wasn’t that bad. They had their own bathroom, which was a big plus already, two wardrobes, two beds, two desks. It was easy to point out what side of the room Minho chose to occupy, the wall had a calendar with cats on it, his bed was undone, and his desk was the home of a laptop, biology books, and a pile of papers.

It was a clean space, though. There was an air freshener that smelled of a mix of clover and cinnamon, and the window was opened enough to let some of the late morning sunlight peek in. Jisung was supposed to arrive earlier, leave his luggage in the room, and head to class already, but he thought that if he could delay sitting in a room with a professor talking their ass off about something he didn’t know shit about and couldn’t care less about learning, then he would. Hence why he was alone in the room, and if his calculations were right, then he still had around one hour to snoop around looking for that flash drive. 

He knew it wouldn’t be an easy task. 

In less than thirty minutes he managed to find nothing that resembled a small device carrying information that could end people’s lives. He didn’t dare turn the laptop on, he needed to be careful and not blow his cover right on the first day. When his phone rang to sign he had ten minutes until classes were over, he ran to his bag and started to unpack. First, he threw his own laptop on his desk and his small vase with a succulent plant, an echeveria he acquired with Hyunjin before he was sent to China. In the back of his wardrobe he placed his suitcase with his gun and a set of poisons he might want to use, he still didn’t know how difficult it would be to get this guy. Then, he started to hang and place his clothes inside, trying to make them organized but not so much. He was a student, these people didn’t have the luxury of time to separate clothes by color.

The door suddenly opened, and Jisung turned around instantly.

Watching him with a very expressionless face and blinking eyes was the man from the picture in the file he was given: Lee Minho, the one and only.

When they say it takes one to know one, people are right. Minho looks at him in a way that makes shivers run down his spine, his glance is analytical, examining his posture, his face, his hands holding a t-shirt. He walks inside slowly and closes the door behind him only after he decides Jisung isn’t a threat.

“I thought you were supposed to arrive tomorrow morning?” His voice is calm, soft. He leaves his messenger bag on his bed after he kicks off his shoes. Jisung is paralyzed, for some reason he didn’t expect him to be someone so calm and quiet. “Today. I was supposed to arrive this morning, but I got lost on my way here, and since I had missed the first class already I stopped for breakfast before going on.” Jisung smiles and turns his body entirely to Minho, who seems to be analyzing him again, eyeing him from head to toe. Minho glances at the calendar on the wall and nods. “Oh, I got the dates mixed up. I was supposed to give you a tour around the campus, since we’re roommates and share the same major.”

Jisung chuckles and shakes his head, reaching out his hand. “We can do that some other time, it’s fine. Nice to meet you, I’m Han Jisung!”

Minho doesn’t smile, he simply nods and shakes Jisung’s hand quickly. “Lee Minho. Nice to meet you.” He pulls his hand away and crosses his arms. “Let me tell you about the housing rules and curfew because breaking those could get you in trouble with the dean.”

  
  


As days went by, Jisung soon realized Minho was the smallest of his problems, the guy was calm and two days after he moved in, he managed to find them a minibar to keep food and drinks stored. He had the habit to listen to music with headphones, always cleaned up after himself, minded his own business and never had anyone visiting. He showed Jisung around, shared his discount coupons with him because the food on campus was too expensive for mere students. Minho also handed him a list of papers he had to hand the teachers because those would be graded - good thing he passed those on to Felix -, and printed a calendar with the dates of exams for him. When Jisung asked, Minho said he didn’t really go to parties or joined social activities, claiming those were not for him.   
He found out Minho was older than him, and he really liked watching and sharing cat videos with him, which turned into a habit after they exchanged numbers. And after the second week of classes, Minho started to sit beside him in every class, and sometimes joined him for a snack.

Minho didn’t share much more than this. He didn’t talk about his family, likes and dislikes, and the most personal information Jisung got out of him was the brand of toothpaste he didn’t like. And only because he was put to the task of buying them hygiene items.

The guy was a mystery box, and his anti-social agenda was complicating things because Jisung couldn’t look for the flash drive while he was in their room. At this rate, he would have to kill him first and then look for it.   
  
“But that could backfire, you know? What if he’s keeping it somewhere else?” Chan said on the phone one night, after Jisung reported and went out for a walk. The campus was nice and quiet at night, he told Minho he needed some fresh air because he got struck with a writer’s block while working on his paper. “I doubt it. He lives inside the dorm, he doesn’t even have friends.” Jisung sighs as he walks, airpods in, phone in his pocket. Chan hums on the other end, like he’s thinking. “If you don’t get anything by the end of the next week, I think you might have to force it out of him. Which sucks big time, I hate doing that.” Chan sounds repulsed by his own suggestion, and Jisung gets it. He hates it too.   
  
“I don’t see any other way, truthfully. It might take me months to get him to trust me, and I don’t have months to spend on this. You should have sent Changbin, he would beat the information out of him.” Jisung jokes, because it’s true. “Or Seungmin. I have the feeling he would lose it in forty-eight hours.”   
  
Chan laughs on the other end. “Seungmin is out on a mission right now, he’s retrieving something for us.”

“Oh, really? What is it?” Jisung knows someday his curiosity will get him in trouble, but this time Chan seems to like the response. Almost as if he was trying to get that reaction out of him.

“It’s a Hwang Hyunjin, it’s coming from China,” his voice is nonchalant for a second before Jisung screams, and then he’s laughing again, hard. That’s it, Jisung is frustrated his friend is back and he has no idea when he will be able to see him again.

Lee Minho be damned.

  
  


And also waking up at shit o’clock in the morning to watch classes.

Minho kept feeding him M&M’s, caffeinated drinks and chuckling to himself whenever Jisung groaned after hearing a teacher give them another paper that would be worth whatever percentage of their grade. In the first week of classes, Jisung made sure to sleep for a few hours after classes were over, while Minho spent his time in the library doing some research. Did he feel bad for the wasted time? Yes. Was he going to lose sleep over it? Absolutely not. This was why he didn’t need, didn’t want, and would never have the horrible idea of trying a major in anything. 

Jisung had forgotten completely about the papers he had to deliver to the teachers, until Felix sent him all of them by email, all done. He was an angel that deserved a raise, really. 

Even though he had all the papers done, printed and ready to be delivered, Jisung wasn’t prepared for the one project their teacher requested on their first class of a damned Thursday. Oh well, it wasn’t like he needed to keep his grades in check anyway. “You missed the class where he requested it.” Minho says, holding his project over his desk, flipping it to the last page. “He said we could do it in pairs, so…” without saying more, he added Jisung’s name to it.

“What? No! Min, you don’t have to do that!” Jisung panics, why would Minho do something like that for him? He could’ve worked on it if he hadn’t spent all afternoons curled up in bed like a blanket burrito. Minho shouldn’t even consider adding his name, he didn’t deserve it. Jisung kind of says all that in a rush, whispering-screaming in hopes their teacher wouldn’t head him. 

Minho just raises his eyebrows and smirks. “You can repay me with coffee later. I know a nice cat café right outside the campus.”

Jisung blinks a few times, mouth hanging open as the teacher comes by and takes the project off Minho’s hand. Is that it? Is that all? He’s not used to having people do things for him in exchange for his company and some coffee. “‘Kay. Cool. Thank you!” Jisung mumbles and Minho smiles just a little, turning back towards the white board. He is positive Minho’s side profile is perfect, and he really shouldn’t be thinking about it.

  
  


Jisung really didn’t think Minho would want to go to the cat café on that same afternoon. In fact he was hoping Minho would go out for something important and would leave him with some free time to snoop around for the flash drive. There were still a few places he didn’t have the chance to look, but other than that there was no sign of it. He was starting to think maybe Minho had gotten rid of it, or hidden it somewhere else. That’s what he would do if he was in his shoes. To hide the flash drive somewhere else would be the smart move, like bury it in a park, a square. Leave it with someone you trust and ask them to leak the content in case you go missing. Maybe Minho’s line of thought wasn’t the one of a killer, Jisung isn’t sure how long he spent working for the jopok.   
His thoughts get interrupted by Minho’s soft voice. He has his back to Jisung as he checks something on the cat calendar hanging on the wall. Minho flips the month and smiles at the black and white kitten sleeping in the picture. “It’s not far from here, we can walk there. And I will need your help with something first,” he turns to face Jisung. “How do you feel about cats?”   
  
How does he feel about cats? Good question.

“I like them,” Jisung shrugs. “They’re smart, and cute. Very warm too, and genuine. Some are very shy and quiet, and it takes some time to get them to trust you, but in the end it’s worth it.” The only contact he has ever had with cats were the ones he met on his way to work. They were usually relaxing on sidewalks or gardens, and were very sweet after they got to trust him. So sure, Jisung had no reason to hate cats. They kind of reminded him of Minho, how he kept to himself, how it took him a while to start to open up.

That seems to be the right answer, Minho smiles just a little and nods. “Good. I’ve been feeding a stray, I need to capture it.”   
  
“Excuse me? We’re not allowed pets in the dorm, you said so yourself when I first got here!” Jisung interjects because he doesn’t want to have a cat get attached to someone he’s going to kill. It would only make the animal suffer and get depressed, and he would have to keep the cat for himself, and Jisung isn’t sure he’s ready to be a father. Minho waves his hands in front of himself, shaking his head. “No! No! You got it all wrong! We need to trap it and take it to the cat café, all their cats are rescued. The hyungs there are veterinarians, they take care of the cats and let them stay in the café, until someone adopts them.” He sighs, relaxing. “They know I will be taking this one to them.”

_ Oh. _

“Oh, that makes sense!” and honestly doesn’t make Jisung feel a little less bad for having to end this golden-hearted man’s life. Maybe there is another way?  _ No.  _ He can’t entertain these kinds of thoughts, Jisung isn’t one to develop connections with his victims. No matter what, he always gets his job done and it won’t be different with Lee Minho just because he likes cats, and gives him means to keep him awake during classes, and adds his name on projects he didn’t even know he had to do just because he’s a nice, friendly guy. Lee Minho is a job, his target, and the second Jisung has his hands on that flash drive, the show is over.   
  
“How do you intend to capture the cat?” He asks.   
  
He shouldn’t have. If Minho had told him they had a cage held by a stick with a rope tied around it, with a bowl of food and water inside while they hid and waited for the cat, he would have shot him dead on the spot. Flash drive or not.   
“This is ridiculous.” he whispers to Minho, both crouched behind a bush, eyes on the cage. “You are ridiculous. You know that, right? You know you are ridiculous, right?” Jisung keeps complaining and Minho just rolls his eyes.

“If you scare the cat away I’m making you eat tissues,” Minho mumbles. Jisung gasps, oh it’s on. “It’s a cat, not fish! You stay quiet when you’re fishing, we’re not fishing!”   
  
“We’re fishing a cat!” Minho raises one eyebrow and glances at Jisung. It lasts a second before they both start laughing, trying to keep it down. It’s hard to stop, both covering their mouths as their eyes start to water and they can’t keep it down. It’s a while before their laughter dies down, they glance at the cage: still no cat. Jisung opens his bottle of water and takes a sip. “Why cats? You seem to like them quite a lot.”   
  
Minho sighs with a nod. “I do. They’re very special animals, like you said they take awhile to trust people. I think I relate to that more than I would like. And cats are the demonized animals in society, you see more cats being abandoned than dogs, who are said to be a man’s best friend. I disagree. I think even a fish can be your best friend if you treat it well, feed it well, take care of its needs. It’s not about species, it’s about love.” He pauses, eyes on the cage. “And stray cats are more prone to be mistreated. When they don’t have a house, a collar with identification and a chip, it means they don’t belong to anyone, don’t belong anywhere. When you don’t belong, nobody respects you.”   
  
Jisung has the feeling Minho isn’t talking just about stray cats. Before he can stop himself, he hears his own voice speaking. “That’s true. I grew up without a place to belong. There was the orphanage, sure. But I didn’t have friends there, I spent more time causing trouble in the streets than being a good boy someone would want to adopt. Much like a stray cat, I guess.” He doesn’t look at Minho, because he wishes he was making this up, but he isn’t. They stay quiet for a whole minute before Minho clears his throat. “I’m sorry to hear that. I can relate. My parents got arrested when I was four for dealing drugs, meth. My grandparent’s on my father’s side had passed before I was born, and my grandfather on my mom’s side had passed one year after I was born. My grandmother was living in an asylum, unable to even recognize me. My extended family didn’t have the means or the will to take me in, so I was raised in an orphanage too. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t a fairytale, and I knew I would be kicked out the moment I turned of age.” Jisung couldn’t say when he started watching Minho, but he catches the small smile on his lips as he trails off and turns to him. “I can’t say I did everything right, I took some really wrong turns out of despair, trying to survive. It sucks because I have the feeling everything I did will come back to bite me in the ass, you know? At the same time I hope I will be able to right my wrongdoings by walking in line from now on.”   
  
He sounds honest.   
Minho sounds like he really is trying, like he really feels bad for his past. And Jisung thinks everyone is allowed mistakes, because nobody is born knowing how the clock ticks, and the world is a very complex thing with unsaid rules you only get to learn as you live. It’s cruel and hard to figure everything out on your own without loving adults to guide you on your first steps. It takes mistakes to learn about morals and empathy when nobody is there to teach you about the good and the bad and the shades of grey between both.   
  
Jisung places a hand over Minho’s, and it doesn’t feel weird or awkward. It feels like he’s closer to being whole than he has ever been. “I haven’t known you for very long, but I can tell you’re walking the right path. I’m proud of you.”   
  
There’s something there, but it dissolves in the wind when they hear something crack. They both turn to the cage at the same time, and a black cat with white paws is feeding off the food they left there. Minho smirks and pulls the rope.

Minho carries the cage and the cat screams - doesn’t meow, screams - all the way to the cat café. It’s a short walk there, just like Minho said, and the smell of coffee is rich, Jisung can feel it from the sidewalk. They walk inside and stop by the reception desk, the cat’s noise making every head turn to them. The man behind the desk - Changkyun says the name tag - has dark hair falling over his eyes and a bored, unimpressed look on his face. “What’s up?” He smiles small, and Minho responds smiling back and nodding. “I brought the cat I told Minhyuk hyung about.”   
In a minute two other men join them. One is very muscly, looking like he spends a lot of time in the gym and eating healthy food, while the other is slightly taller, thinner, and with a more lively look. They invite Minho and Jisung into a room, which Jisung finds out is a small emergency room.    
“It’s a she,” the taller guy says. As they talk Jisung finds out his name is Minhyuk, and the muscly guy is Hoseok. “She seems malnourished, and dehydrated.” They all look at Hoseok and he sighs, petting the cat who has already taken a liking to both vets. “First thing we have to do is to test her for Fiv and FeLV. If she’s positive, she can’t stay here with the other cats, and will need a special home. If she’s negative, perfect. Then we need to run some blood tests, check her kidneys, hydrate her, feed her, get her healthy and spay her. She seems strong and docile.”   
  
Minho nods. “She is. She always let me pet her when I fed her, never hissed.” Jisung wants to ask why they had to be a dumb duo and fish the cat then, but he doesn’t. Minhyuk laughs when the cat rubs her head against his hand. “Will you want to keep her, Minho?”   
Jisung sees how Minho’s eyes linger lovingly on the cat, her purring echoing all around the room. “I can’t. I’m still living on campus. I’ll have to wait before I can have my own.”   
  
Hoseok, the buff guy circles Minhyuk’s waist with his arm and nods. “We could give her a temporary shelter at home, love. If she adapts well, we could keep her. What do you think?” It’s in that moment that Jisung notices how they both wear matching rings, how they smile at each other. They’re a couple. He glances at Minho, and he’s looking at both so naturally he can only guess he was less slow than him and figured it out some time ago. They agree to keep her, and Minho promises to send them name suggestions, and that as soon as her health improves, he will visit her.   
They finally get that coffee Jisung owed him, sitting on a corner, with pillows all around and cats sleeping peacefully on their laps. For his horror, Jisung thinks he could get used to this.

“So, how long have you known them?” Jisung asks, trying to keep his mind off things. The coffee tastes good, and the smell of food is all around. Minho strokes the long fur of the cat sleeping on his lap. “For a few months. As far as I know, they graduated some time ago, and I found Hoseok hyung putting up flyers in the mural of our building, they were looking for part-timers. I almost tried, but it would mess up my studying schedule, so I just started to visit. I met Minhyuk hyung because he was the only one here the day I found a box of kittens, then I learned he and Hoseok hyung are a couple.” When Minho says the last part, he looks up at Jisung, like he’s expecting something.   
  
Jisung nods. “That’s pretty neat! They seem like nice people, it must feel good to have a boyfriend to share a business like this.” He sips his coffee and looks at Minho, it’s his turn to react. Minho smiles a little and looks down at the cat on his lap. “It must feel good to have a boyfriend, period.”   
And that’s how they come out to each other, Jisung thinks. Feels natural, comfortable.    
That’s what worries Jisung the most, because lately everything regarding Minho feels extremely comfortable.

  
  


Jisung is laying in a starfish position on the floor of their shared room the first time it happens. Minho said he would be back by seven, he wanted to study in the library, he even invited Jisung but he said he’d rather stay in. His excuse was that the library was too distracting, while Minho said he felt like he could focus better while in the library.   
Truth is Jisung didn’t even touch a book. One, because he didn’t need to learn shit. Two, because that was an excuse to look for the flash drive. Today, Jisung told himself he would look for it in the wardrobe. He searched everything, every pair of shoes, every pocket in every coat. He opened every bag, touched every - ew! - underwear, every pair of socks.    
  
Nothing.   
  
The hardest part was to put everything in place, making it look like he didn’t touch a thing. That’s when his phone rings with a message from Minho. Nothing is written, it’s just a picture with a funny filter that replaces Minho’s head with an orange, but keeps his human eyes and mouth. It’s creepy, and dumb, and so essentially Minho that Jisung laughs out loud. He opens his app, chooses a filter that replaces his head with a pineapple. He makes a short video opening his mouth to have juice come out of it in the filter. Jisung hits send and waits.   
Less than a minute later he gets a message from Minho, this time he sends him a short video too, his eyes and mouth on a toilet paper roll that drops more paper when he shakes his head.   
He is so lame.

And so is Jisung, he thinks, because they spend the following hour sharing dumb videos and pictures with the weirdest filters and effects.   
Not a word exchanged.

To Jisung’s despair, this becomes their main means of communication.

  
  


Chan calls him on a Saturday morning. Minho is still asleep, curled up on himself, only his messy dark hair poking out the covers. Jisung leaves the dorm to answer, and Chan sounds a bit too hyper for someone who woke up at six in the morning. “Sungie!” his cheerful, very awake voice makes Jisung groan. “It’s eight minutes past six in the morning, hyung. With all due respect, what do you want?”   
  
Chan giggles. He dismisses it every time Jisung lacks respect towards him, that’s good. “Just checking on you. The contractor called me today, asked about the status of the operation, I need to give him feedback.”

His sigh is loud and he walks down the corridor to the window that faces the south wing of the dormitories. The sun isn’t even in the sky yet. “You have to tell him I need more time, I still haven’t found it. It’s not an easy task, but I’m getting there and-” Jisung pauses, his brain only now starting to work. “Did he call you today?”   
  
There’s silence on the other end, and then the sound of Chan realizing something. “Yesterday. I. I haven’t slept yet.”   
Jisung thinks it’s too early and he is too young to play the role of his hyung’s mother.

When he gets back to his room, Minho sits up in bed, eyes swollen with sleep, hair sticking out in every direction. He looks so lost, so innocent and cuddly. In his half asleep state Jisung almost crosses the room to join him, but reason tells him he has his own bed. “Where did you go? Is everything okay?”   
  
He nods and shows him his phone. “I was picking up a call, that’s all. Go back to sleep.” Jisung crawls back in bed, but Minho keeps watching him, blinking a few times. “This early?” he questions.   
  
_ Shit. _   
  
“Yes. It was a friend of mine, his sleeping schedule is all messed up because of his insomnia, he thinks it’s okay to call people whenever he’s awake.” He yawns. “Go back to sleep, hyung.”   
  
Minho nods and obeys.

  
  


It’s late at night when Minho suggests they watch a movie together. Outside the dorm they can hear people laughing and getting ready to spend their Saturday night getting pissed in parties. Both had agreed that wasn’t their thing, much more into staying home and having a good time with the silence. 

So Jisung agrees with the movie, and while he heads to the shared kitchen to make them some microwave popcorn, Minho pushes the beds together and sets his laptop on one of the desks. Jisung thinks it’s weird that he’s actually about to have some quality time with his soon to be victim. Maybe he misses his friends too much. 

He texts Felix while the popcorn turns in the microwave, he tells him he misses him and can’t wait to see him. Then, he texts Hyunjin, saying he better not dare to go to China again before he’s back. Hyunjin answers first, nagging at him, obviously. Felix sends him a series of crying emojis, promising him hugs and brownies as soon as he gets back. 

Jisung returns to their shared bedroom when the popcorn is ready, and Minho is already laying down, lights off, waiting for him. He hands him his popcorn and lays down next to him, wiggling his body under the covers.

The movie is weird. Just like Minho.

Jisung doesn’t know why he thought this guy would choose something normal. It’s full of weird nerdy references he doesn’t get fully, but he laughs when Minho does because his laughter is contagious. Because his eyes get small and he scrunches up his nose, and sounds louder than he ever does when he speaks. He looks so innocent and pure, like he would never be able to hurt anyone. And his dark hair falls perfectly, framing his face, making Minho look even more ethereal. Jisung realizes he has been staring, because Minho stops laughing and turns to face him, his lips parted. Those beautiful, well designed lips. And he knows he should stop looking, he should focus on the screen again, but he doesn’t and Minho doesn’t look away either. 

He doesn’t know who leaned in first, but before his brain goes blank, Minho’s lips are on his, and Minho’s hand is on the back of his neck, holding him in place.

Jisung has kissed many people in his life, including some people in Miroh Corp, and he thinks kissing is fun. It’s mostly two people having a good time, killing the loneliness and need for human touch, nothing serious. It’s just lips touching, the brief exchange of saliva e and sudden intimacy between two people that are attracted to each other enough to kiss. 

But he never felt what Minho made him feel. It was way more than a kiss, it was how his fingers on the back of his neck burned, and how his heart started to beat faster. It was how soft his lips felt, and how the simple touch of tongues gave him shivers down his spine. It was like ice forming in his belly, and how nice it felt to run his fingers through his hair. When they parted, Jisung was speechless for the first time in his life. Minho looked gorgeous with messy hair and swollen lips, breathing heavy and eyes focused on his mouth. He doesn’t do this, not while he’s working, not with his potential victim. He knows people that love playing the seducing and killing game, but not him. So this, Jisung thinks, is genuine. This isn’t work, this is young adult Jisung living his very own college dream, the old “and they were roommates” trope. He licks his lips, Minho looks him in the eyes, he throws all caution out the window and goes for it. Jisung kisses Minho like there’s no tomorrow, like the sun won’t rise and bring him a reality check.

And reality be damned, he thinks when Minho is over him, their shirts discarded somewhere in the mess their beds are now. He has a toned torso, and it’s just when Minho is kneeling between his legs that Jisung pays attention to those thighs.

He’s gone, he wants Minho to ruin him. 

“You’re gorgeous,” Minho says. For a second Jisung thinks he’s the one that said it. But Minho is looking at him with adoration in his eyes, his thumb pressed on his lower lip, looking like a wet dream. Jisung nibbles on his thumb and smirks, this feels good, his chest feels full. “Please, you’re the blueprint of perfection, Lee Minho.” He closes the distance and kisses his again.

When morning comes, Jisung has been staring at the wall for some hours already. Minho is sound asleep, his arm around his naked torso keeps him close, nose buried against his shoulder, legs intertwined. Jisung almost laughs when he sees they managed to throw his underwear perfectly inside the trash bin, just a small part of it sticking out. There must be marks all around his neck, and Jisung is sure he got him back by leaving red trails down Minho’s back with his nails. It had been months since he last got laid, and he might be drunk on a cocktail of pheromones, dopamine and oxytocin, but it has never ever felt so good, so right, so fulfilling. 

It was worrisome. 

His eyes wander to the arm holding him close and he feels his chest tighten. Minho clings to him like a stray cat that found comfort in a new home, and it’s terrible how bad Jisung wants to be his home. He wants to stay, he wants to be there for him, to give him shelter and become his personal body guard if needed. He needs to take a deep breath, he can’t think about it now.

Jisung needs to kill Minho, get that flash drive and be done with this. There’s no more time to waste, the longer he stays, the less determination he will have to do what he has to do. 

He feels Minho start to move, feels a kiss on his shoulder, on the back of his neck, and he turns around. Jisung looks up to find a disheveled hair Minho, with small eyes from sleep and a tiny grin on those soft lips. “Good morning, Sung!” 

Blinking a few times, he groans. “How? How do you look this good after just waking up? This is illegal, man!” Minho giggles and leans down, presses his lips on Jisung’s and efficiently shuts him up. 

They don’t properly talk about what happened, and besides the occasional kisses and making out during random situations, nothing really changed. Minho leaves for a couple hours because they need more soda, chocolate milk and snacks, and Jisung takes it upon him to fix the room. While he’s putting the beds back in place, his brain decides to poke at him, nagging about how he needs to end this situation. He can see Chan’s disappointed face if he chooses to leave the case. He can see himself mourning for a long time because he caught feelings for someone who would inevitably die. 

He could tell Minho, maybe he would agree to hand him the flash drive, and Jisung could protect him. Maybe Minho would kill him instead. All he knows is that he dreads the disappointment in Minho’s eyes when he finds out the truth. 

Jisung is barely done with the beds when the door opens and Minho whines, dropping the plastic bags on the floor. “I hate how everything on campus closes early on Sundays,” he says. When Jisung turns to tell him he should’ve thought about it before deciding to go grocery shopping on a Sunday, he is taken aback by Minho holding a small bouquet of blue flowers. Minho looks like he’d rather have the floor swallow him, biting his lower lip and glancing at Jisung.

“I thought about everything while I was out, and I think we skipped a few steps. So. Uh.” He hands Jisung the small bouquet. “I’m asking you out on a proper date, I guess. Next Friday, if you’re not busy.”

Jisung takes the bouquet and his heart drops at the same time his face opens up in a smile. “So cheesy! Who would have thought?” He glances up at Minho, he’s rolling his eyes. “But sure. Let’s go on a date next Friday.” Minho tries to hide his smile by picking up the plastic bags and moving to the minibar. 

“I will surprise you, so don’t ask about it until Friday!” He says, kneeling down to fit things inside it.

Jisung wants to make a funny comeback, but his heart still aches with the realization that Minho gave him a bouquet of blue aster.

  
  


That night, while he was in bed, Jisung realized that he had less than a week to end this. He didn’t want to get to Friday night and enjoy a whole date with Minho, just to end him after. Just the thought of ending Minho made his heart break and his eyes water. He was used to killing, of course he was, he had a long list of names whose blood was in his hands. But it was their policy at Miroh Corp that they only accepted cases where the target wasn’t innocent, and that was not the vibe he got from Minho at all. He sounded more like the victim in the situation. Jisung tried not to cry, he tried to focus on how he was going to ask for a month off after this job, how he was going to leave for a nice sunny place where Minho wouldn’t even cross his mind. He tried to focus on how he was going to get back to his house, his soft bed and huge tv, his blackout curtains and spacious living room. How he would be able to eat real food and not the cheap goo they served the students.

Nothing worked. 

Deep down he would rather live like this forever if it meant he could keep Minho. He would rather put up with the noisy drunk jocks that were always messing around the corridor, and with the clowns of the dorm building exchanging name tags on the doors. He would rather have to wake up early and actually have to give a damn about the anatomy of a squirrel than to know Minho was gone forever. 

Minho.

Lee Minho, who loves cats and has a special place in his heart for strays. The guy that chose to study for years to be able to take care of animals in need, the guy who would put his name on a project he never worked on just because he was nice. The guy that shared discount coupons with him, and sent him funny pictures with stupid filters. The soft-spoken Lee Minho, who gave him a bouquet of blue aster to ask him out on a date.

He would cease existing, and it would be by Jisung’s hands.

He didn’t sleep properly, waking up every hour startled by a new nightmare, one worse than the other. When morning came, he was wide awake, he heard the alarm go off. He heard Minho heading to the bathroom. He didn’t move.

When Minho noticed, he approached the bed with a questioning look, smelling of minty toothpaste and clean clothes.

“I think I’m skipping class today, my stomach feels weird,” he said. Minho frowned and suggested he had some tea. Jisung lied he had taken an antacid and would sleep it away. With a kiss to his temple Minho bid him goodbye and promised to take notes for him.

When he was sure Minho was gone, Jisung got up, determined to find that flash drive. He still hadn’t looked in the bedside table, the bed and the drawers that Minho kept locked on his desk. It was time to turn everything upside down.

First things first, he opens his wardrobe and the suitcase he had kept in the back of it. He places it on his bed, takes one of the guns out, the taser, and some equipment he won’t need right now. The small kit of tools to pick locks is the last thing he finds - obviously - and he drops all the other things back in the suitcase and stuffs it back in the wardrobe. He skips to Minho’s desk and starts to pick on the drawers’ locks. It’s easy to open them, a simple mechanism used only to keep snoopy people away, not to keep secrets. In there he finds some interesting things: a glock, some knives, leather gloves and a file.

It’s nothing related to the jopok.

There’s a picture of a kid, Minho when he was five. There’s the information about the orphanage he used to live at, with data about his behavior and grades in school. He was an average student, a well behaved kid with a shy personality, it said. Still, Jisung couldn’t find a single attempt of adoption.

The information ends when he is ten years old. 

Jisung tries not to think about it, he sets the file to the side with the glock, the knives and the gloves. He goes for the bed. 

The bed structure is a regular one, like Jisung expected. He examines the mattress minutely, checking every corner to try and find an opening for the flash drive to be inside.

Nothing.

The pillow? Nothing. 

He flips open every book, he re-checks every clothes, every pocket, his own mattress, the whole bathroom cabinet and he finds nothing. He’s tired and starts to think this flash drive doesn’t even exist anymore. He stands up and picks up his phone from his bedside table. Minho’s child picture glares at him from the other side as he dials Chan’s personal number, phone pressed to his ear.

_ “Sungie?” _ Comes the cheerful voice from the other side, and Jisung knows Chan is expecting him to say he’s done with the job. 

“I can’t do this. I can’t do this, Chan.” He sighs and waits because there is silence on the other end. He hears a door being closed and suspects Chan is alone in his office to talk to him.

_ “Are you okay? You sound exhausted. Did something happen?”  _ He is concerned, more about Jisung than the whole case.

Jisung takes a deep breath. “He is not a bad person, he’s actually the nicest guy I have ever met, Channie. He is amazing, he’s been treating me well since I got here, he didn’t even know me. I can’t do this!” He sighs and Chan hums on the other end.

_ “I don’t know what to say, Sungie. I would tell you to leave it alone and to come back home if it was any other client, but it’s the jopok. They will hunt you down, they will hunt Lee Minho down, and maybe the whole corp. They are bitter, vengeful pigs.” _

Jisung knows. He has heard stories. “I wish I could end this, I do!” He runs a hand through his hair. “I can’t find this goddamn flash drive, Chan. I can’t find it. There’s no hint of it, and I have barely any time on my own. To make things worse he’s a closed off person, he doesn’t share anything, I don’t even know how to get it out of him without giving myself away. There must be a way but-“ Jisung gets interrupted by the sound of something falling to the floor, and before he turns around he knows he made a mistake: he kept his back to the door.

Minho stands there, a box of ginger tea by his feet, his eyes fixed on Jisung with that look he knew he would get the second Minho found out the truth. “Chan, something came up, I’ll call you later.” Jisung doesn’t take his eyes off Minho as he hangs up and Minho closes the door behind him. He feels worse than garbage, he feels rotten, disgusting, despicable, unworthy of any kind of sympathy. That’s what Minho probably thinks of him right now. “Minho…”   
  
“Don’t.” his voice is low and cold, hard like the look he gives him. “So that’s what this was about, huh? You’re just another pawn of theirs, I should’ve known I would never be this lucky.”    
  
Jisung shakes his head. “No, Minho! Listen, I can explain everything-”   
  
“You can! I know you can!” Minho chuckles bitterly. “But you don’t need to. You want to end this quickly, whoever sent you wants the flash drive with all that information that is so precious to your kind, and you can’t find it. You can’t find the goddamn flash drive because even after sleeping with me I still didn’t tell you shit about it, huh?” He laughs nervously and his eyes fall on the glock sitting on the desk. “You did look everywhere, didn’t you?”   
  
His hands are shaking, and he wants to cry, to scream, to tell Minho that’s not what it is, even though it is. But he wants to assure him his feelings are real, he didn’t sleep with him for this, he did it because… “Minho, please. Let me talk to you!” He crosses the room, breaking the distance between them. He doesn’t know why he thought Minho would let him touch him, because the moment he rests his hands on his forearms, Minho pushes him. “Get off me!” He’s stronger than he looks, and Jisung is too small, frail, even with all the training, he’s not a match for Minho’s strength. 

He gasps when his back hits the floor, and before he gets the chance to react, Minho is on top of him, gun to his temple, breathing heavily. He can’t read his eyes, there’s a mix of betrayal and rage, but there’s more. “I can’t believe you! You’re with the jopok! Didn’t I tell you to not come back? How long will you all insist, huh? Don’t you have better things to do?”

“I am not with the jopok, Minho! Please, listen to me. You have to believe me, I’m not with the jopok, I am not one of them! Please!” Jisung tries, voice desperate. Minho seems to consider what he said for a second but then shakes his head. “Who are you, then? Only the jopok know about the files.” Minho spits.

Jisung wants to groan and slap Minho, but he has the feeling he won’t live if he tries anything. This sucks, he thinks. This sucks big time. “I. Am. Not. With. The. Jopok.” He grunts. “Miroh Crime Scene Cleaning, it’s a company that cleans up death scenes. Messy suicides, accidents with traces, murders that weren’t well cleaned up after. It’s not a big company, we’re seven people working in different areas, but we’re in one of the biggest and most expensive buildings in Gangnam. How? It's a cover-up. We’re hitmen for hire.” He takes a deep breath, watching Minho’s expression change slowly as he listens to Jisung. Of course, he doesn’t seem convinced, but now he’s intrigued, and intrigued Minho listens. “The jopok from Gimpo hired us - me - to kill you and retrieve the flash drive. So my friend Felix, who’s a hacker that works with Miroh, added me here, in your classes and your room. I had never been in a University class before.” 

Minho is still frowning, but he lowers the gun. “So you really came here to kill me.” his voice comes out broken, it’s an affirmation, a realization that this wasn’t some kind of fucked up joke nor a nightmare. “You got close because you need to finish your job.”

“But then I fell for you.” Jisung tries, but Minho laughs bitterly while he removes himself from Jisung. He crosses the bedroom to the cat calendar on the wall. He rips it off with his free hand, letting it fall to the floor. On the wall there’s a small cut out hole, Minho pulls something out and throws it at Jisung’s chest. The flash drive. 

“There it is.” He drops the gun on Jisung’s lap and sits on the bed. “Now you don’t have to pretend you like me anymore. Shoot me, and you can go back to your life.”

It stings.

Both what Minho says and how he says it. It’s like Jisung is getting his chest ripped open because he doesn’t know how to make Minho believe him now. And Jisung understands, he would be just as disappointed, he would be just as crushed if they were in each other’s shoes. “No,” he says, his vision blurry when he drops the flash drive with shaky hands and empties the gun, throwing the ammo to one side and the body of the pistol to the opposite side of the room. “I can’t do this. At this point, I couldn’t care less about this job, about this flash drive, about the jopok. I don’t want to kill you, Minho,” he feels it, the avalanche of tears that stream down his cheeks, preventing him from witnessing how the other man wipes at his own eyes and closes the distance between them. In a second Jisung is hiccuping and crying in Minho’s arms, hearing the faint sniffles coming from the older one.

He cries. He cries because Minho is holding him and he has never felt so safe, and because there’s no one other that would get him like Minho does. He cries because he doesn’t know how they will deal with the jopok, because he doesn’t want to endanger his friends at Miroh. He cries because this isn’t even unfair, Jisung knew karma would come around to bite him in the ass at some point, he has too much blood in his hands. And he cries because all he wants is for Minho to forgive him, to love him. 

Jisung knows some time goes by, he doesn’t have the energy in his body to fight back if Minho decides to kill him now. Part of him wouldn’t mind dying by his hands. At some point during his breakdown, Minho moved them to his bed, and he now has his back against the headboard with Jisung in his arms.

“I was just a kid when I joined the jopok, and it wasn’t even because I wanted to,” Minho starts, his soft voice vibrating on his chest. Jisung listens in silence. “I lived in this orphanage, I was abandoned when I was born, I never knew a different life. The orphanage was financially kept by what we - the kids - thought were businessmen. They visited once in a while, brought us toys on Christmas, helped buy food. It was a very smart way to launder money, nobody questions charity, right?” Minho chuckles, and continues. “Everything was fine, until one day when they visited, someone stole one of the boss’ golden rings when he took them off to play with play-doh with the children. We were put in a room, all of us, and we had to listen to a long rant about how stealing wasn’t right. Meanwhile, his men searched all our belongings to find it. To this day I don’t know who did it, or why they framed me, but they found it in my things. I was taken to a private chat with the boss, and he said he was impressed by my audacity. But he forgave me, he said. He said I could make it up to him. The next day I was packing up and moving into his house. He didn’t adopt me, he just took me under his wing, he taught me everything I shouldn’t be learning at ten years old. I could hold a gun and shoot like an adult in no time, I learned how to hide a body, and how to get rid of blood stains. I grew up and he made me his right arm.” Minho pauses, breathing heavily, probably to recompose himself. Jisung moved in his arms a little to let him know he was awake and listening.

For some reason, he didn’t think Minho had willingly joined the mafia, and now he knew his instincts weren’t wrong.

Minho takes a deep breath, “I hated it. I hated every second of it. They acted like the world owed him something, like he was the most powerful man on Earth. He was only the most powerful in Gimpo.” He chuckles. “I was done, but I had been there long enough to know I would never be allowed to leave, I needed a guarantee for my life. That’s when I copied the files, every single one of them. I didn’t even have to hide to do it, the boss trusted me with his life. As soon as I had everything I needed to get every single one of them in trouble, I deleted it from their computers. I left a note, ran away, and never looked back.”

Jisung finally looks up at him, his eyes are swollen and Minho’s seem to be too. “Then they tried to end you.”

Minho nods. “Twice. Three times if we count you. And it’s been four months since I left, I’m tired. This will never be over unless I’m dead. Let them keep their flash drive, I don’t have the fight in me anymore.”

“Don’t say that!” Jisung sits up and turns to him, he takes a deep breath and goes on. “First of all, I need to apologize. The moment I realized I had feelings for you, I should’ve been honest, I should’ve told you. I thought that if I tried to dissuade Chan - my boss - from keeping this case, then I could somehow get away with it. But then he said there was no way, the jopok would come for you one way or another, and most likely come for me and all of them too. They don’t deserve to pay for my decisions. I didn’t know what to do, because I meant it when I told you I love you!”

Minho smiles a little and cups his face with both hands. “I’m happy to hear that. I meant it too. But I’m just as lost, I don’t know anyone that could help us. And I know the jopok won’t accept the flash drive in exchange for my life, I tried once.” He leans in and rests his forehead against Jisung’s. “So, you’re a hitman? That’s kind of hot.”

Jisung giggles and slaps Minho’s shoulder. “Too soon, Min!” He takes a deep breath and pulls away to look Minho in the eyes. “We’re going to Miroh tomorrow, first thing. I need Chan and Changbin, I need to tell them. They need to see you, to know you. There needs to be a way out.”

Minho doesn’t seem convinced Chan can help, they spend the whole day and night talking about it, and by the time they actually manage to take a nap, the sun is about to rise.

If Jisung thought that coming the next morning things would be easier, he was wrong. Even while Minho sips on a chocolate milk he found in the minibar, he seems suspicious. He holds the flash drive in one of his hands, eyes on it, jumping now and then while Jisung roams around the room. He sighs and turns to Minho while he brings the suitcase with the poisons and weapons to him. “I’m just organizing it, I’m not going to use them on you. No need to look at me like I’m a bomb about to explode,” he locks it and puts it away. Minho is still quietly drinking the chocolate milk.   
  
“Where is this office? Isn’t it safer to meet this Bang Chan guy somewhere public?” Minho questions after some time. The room is a mess after their fight, and Jisung is trying to make it look less like hurricane Desperate-Han-Jisung railed it. “Nobody is going to kill you there, Min.” Jisung chuckles and sighs, takes careful steps towards him and sits by his side on the bed. “Miroh’s office is safe. Chan is safe. I told him I would bring you because new things came to light, I told him about… everything. He wants to meet you, to talk to you.”   
  
Minho nods and then frowns. “We could run away. I’m good at it, nobody would find us.”

Jisung nods and takes Minho’s hand, the one holding the flash drive. “We could, but we need to talk to Chan hyung first. Trust me, please. I know right now it’s hard to expect you can trust me, but I need you to at least try. Give me the benefit of doubt. You can shoot me on spot if you think I failed you, I don’t mind. But I need you to try.”   
  
He sighs and takes the last sip of his chocolate milk, places the empty carton on the floor and cups Jisung’s face with his cold hand. “I would never shoot you. Not to kill, maybe on the foot to teach you a lesson, but that’s about it.” And Jisung laughs, still standing in the line where he doesn’t know if this guy is being serious or just messing with him. He nods and kisses Minho’s cheek quickly. “I’ll keep that in mind, hyung.” 

  
  


It’s amazing how Minho instantly gets along with Jeongin at the reception desk. The young boy brightens up when he sees Jisung, and looks equally excited to see Minho. “I’ve never met a target before! Not while they’re alive!” he says. While most people would find it distasteful, Minho finds it hilarious. The next second he’s being offered coffee and petit fours Jeongin had just brought from the bakery across the street. Of course he accepts, claiming Jisung never told him he would be fed, getting him a disapproving look from Jeongin.   
He drags Minho to Chan’s office, deciding he won’t introduce him to anybody else, he’s under the risk of being thrown under the bus by everyone. Turns out neither Chan nor Changbin have arrived yet, so it’s just the two of them for some time. Minho sips his coffee and munches on his petit fours as he looks at the shelves with books and memorabilia Chan collects. Jisung notices he stops on a framed picture of Chan, Jisung and Changbin together. The picture was taken during a New Year’s Eve party, back when they started their business. The frozen image shows the three of them close, with colorful hats and fun accessories, clearly drunk. He joins Minho, standing beside him as he points in the picture. “This is Chan, and this is Changbin.” he smiles.   
  
“You seem close.” Minho says with a nod. Jisung smiles and rests his back against the wall beside the shelf. “Bang Chan saved me. I was too dumb, too scared. I was going to be released from the orphanage in six months and I had nowhere to go, no income. I considered staying in the streets, but I was too scared. Long story short, I started to steal. Nothing big, you know? Just money from convenience stores, mugging strangers, whatever I could get to save to get a place after I was kicked out. It was one of those late rainy nights when I met him. I was running from the cops after robbing a small department store. I thought I would get caught, I was sure it was over for me, until I bumped into him turning a corner. We both fell but I noticed he was hurt, he was holding his side and he was bleeding a lot. Anyone would’ve run, right? But in that moment it didn’t even cross my mind that I could be charged for murder, I just asked him how I could help him.” He laughs and shakes his head. “He said he needed help getting inside his apartment, somehow he couldn’t climb the stairs. It was the perfect hideout for me, so I helped him. And then I tried to call an ambulance, but he didn’t let me. I helped him clean up the wound, and it was the first time I saw someone suturing their own skin.”   
  
Minho nods, apparently he understands. “I’ve seen it happen a few times, it’s mortifying.”   
  
Jisung hums in agreement. “He asked me to stay the night, and I did. The next morning he made us breakfast and asked me what I was running from, because he saw the gun, and I don’t know what came over me, I just blurted out everything. After I was done he offered me a place to stay, and offered me a job in the business he was starting. That’s how I became part of Miroh. To this day I don’t know who hurt him, what he was running from, or why.”   
  
“But you trust him with your life.” Minho doesn’t question. Jisung nods.

When the door opens, Chan walks inside followed by Changbin, they both look first at Jisung and then at Minho. The moment of silence between them is short-lived, because both Chan and Changbin offer him smiles and their hands when they walk closer.

“I’m Bang Chan, this is Seo Changbin. Nice to meet you, Minho.” Chan says, shaking his hand, and then letting Changbin do the same. Jisung knows Minho wasn’t expecting the niceness, because his eyes widen at first, and then his whole body relaxes and he smiles back. “Nice to meet you both, I’m Lee Minho. Jisung talked a lot about you.”   
  
Changbin snickers. “Likewise, man. Likewise.”

Jisung didn’t expect the meeting to be short, he knew Chan would want to know every detail about the jopok from Gimpo, everything Minho remembered about it since the day he joined, he told him. They sat together for hours, called Felix in, Seungmin and Hyunjin. Even Jeongin joined them at some point, and when everyone left to think about solutions, only Chan was left with Jisung and Minho.

The three of them are sitting on the floor, Minho is playing with a rubber ball Felix left behind, Jisung has his head on his lap and Chan is on the other side of the room doing something on his phone.

From time to time he sighs, massages the bridge of his nose, types and waits. Whenever he seems like he’s going to say something, he doesn’t.   
  
“He’s getting on my nerves,” Minho tells Jisung. He says it low enough to make it look like he’s whispering, but loud enough for Chan to hear it. Jisung laughs and Chan rolls his eyes at them. 

“I might have a solution,” he declares, looking at his phone. “There’s this man I trust, but I don’t ask him things. This is the first time I’m coming to him asking for a favor, and he kind of said yes already, but he asked for a meeting.” He looks at them when Jisung sits up. “He is a very busy man, but he has tonight free and wants us to meet him in his house.” Chan turns to Minho. “If you have a gun, leave it here. Bring the flash drive with you.” 

  
  


The man Chan said they had a meeting with asked it to be in his place, and Jisung had imagined a nice duplex apartment, or a triplex, even a penthouse. Not a movie-like mansion with security guards at the entrance who looked them up and down the moment they exited the car. They were tall and wore black clothes, not suits. Their aura was intimidating and Jisung caught himself clinging to Minho’s jacket. The intimidating look lasted for exactly three seconds until the less tall one recognized Chan. “Hyung! Long time no see!” he said with a bright smile, and the taller one followed, looking and sounding like a big happy golden retriever. “Oh I had no idea it was you he was expecting! We would’ve been less formal if we knew!”   
Chan laughs light heartedly, shaking hands with both. “Don’t worry, it’s all good. I told him to be as secretive as he could. These two are with me, can we go in?”   
  
Both guards looked at Jisung and Minho from head to toe before greeting them with smiling faces. “Of course! He’s in the office.” The less tall one said, pressing a button and letting the gates open. “If you don’t, Mingi can guide you, or ask one of the boys to do it.” the taller one said, but Chan dismissed them. “I’m fine, I think I still remember how to get there. Thank you, guys!”    
  
Jisung thanks them both while Minho just nods at them. He’s confused, he has a million questions for Chan, and none of them can be asked now, he’s too intimidated by the huge, well-kept garden they walk until they reach the door. The second they step inside, Chan takes his boots off, and Jisung uses that as a hint to do the same, like Minho. “Hey,” Chan’s voice calls, and the touch of his hand on his shoulder brings Jisung back to reality. Chan is smiling, one hand on his shoulder and the other on Minho’s. “Everybody here is a friend, both of you can relax. I know you have a lot of questions, and I’m sorry I might not be able to answer all of them. But you need to know that the moment you set foot here, you’re in a fortress, a safe place. Okay?”   
  
Jisung nods and Minho lifts one hand. “Just answer this one question, Chan hyung: is this the Seoul jopok clan?” Chan looks away, and then down. “Seriously?” Minho’s voice sounds higher for the first time since Jisung met him, and for the first time in his life he feels betrayed. By the person he trusted and admired the most. Chan sighs and nods. “Yes and no. It’s way more complex than that. I can promise you that you’re safe here. We all are.” Chan turns to Jisung with pleading eyes. “I would never betray your trust.”   
  
“Hyung, I think you already did,” Jisung feels like crying, he feels like running away. He should’ve listened to Minho, they should’ve left Seoul while they still had time. It’s out of instinct that he takes Minho’s hand and they both take a step back, ready to fly the place. Until they hear someone cleaning their throat and Jisung’s blood runs cold. Slowly, Chan turns around and takes a step to the side, revealing a small figure standing between the marble staircases that curve towards the mansion's second floor. It’s a man not older than them, clad in black with a black fake fur overcoat that ends a little below his knees. He has some tattoos, they’re visible under the collar of the shirt he’s wearing, climbing in dark ink up his neck. His hair is a greyish light brown, combed back, leaving his whole face visible. As he steps towards them, the light reflects the metallic vertical labret piercing in his lower lip. “Is there a problem? Did you forget your way around here, Channie?” He offers them a smile, hands in the pockets of his coat. “I saw on camera when you arrived, and then you stopped moving, I came to the rescue.”   
  
Chan chuckles and shakes his head. “Hello to you too, Hongjoong. They’re hesitating a little because of who you are.” Hongjoong, the newcomer, nods. Jisung doesn’t feel like he could be a threat, he seems weirdly normal if you disconsider his clothing, and tattoos, and dark makeup around his eyes. “Nice to meet you both, I’m Kim Hongjoong. Chan told me what’s going on, and before you pee yourselves, I don’t have, never had, and don’t wish to have any affiliation with the Gimpo clan. I don’t work with losers.” He smirks and turns around. “Come on, Seonghwa baked us lemon cookies, he will be pissed if we don’t try them.”

Jisung blinks a few times, watching Chan giggle and follow Hongjoong like a puppy. He glances at Minho, and he’s frowning. “I’m not a loser! I was once part of the Gimpo clan, you know?” He calls, following them. Maybe Chan is right, maybe they’re safe here.

They sit on a dark wooden table, fancy cups and plates in front of them, a tray with freshly baked lemon cookies, and a tall man dressed in a loose black shirt and dark jeans sets a teapot in front of them. The smell is amazing, and Jisung feels like he’s in a movie, with high shelves filled with all kinds of books, divided by themes, organized in alphabetical order. He could bet one of those was fake, just a cover for a lever that when pulled gave them access to a secret passage. Maybe the place where this Hongjoong dude tortured his enemies. The tall guy with dark blond hair smiles sweetly at them while he pours tem tea.

“Is it your grandma’s tea?” Chan asks, looking up at Hongjoong who’s already cutely blowing on the liquid in his cup. “It is!” he smiles, “I didn’t think you’d remember. Hwa learned the blend well, he keeps some stored for us, it’s our trademark tea. I remember her telling us it was for good luck, right?” Hongjoong tells Chan and smiles at Seonghwa when he sits beside him. For Jisung it’s the way Seonghwa smiles at Hongjoong and reaches his hand to place a strand of his leader’s hair in place that gives it away, because Chan lowers his head and sips silently on the tea.

Jisung chuckles because he hates the silence, and he hates how Minho sniffs on the tea before he sips on it. “Well, then this tea is exactly what we need.” They all laugh a little and he’s thankful. It’s silent for a few seconds until Hongjoong turns to Minho. “So you’re the valuable head, huh? Your clan came to me, you know? It’s been, what? A month?” He turns to Seonghwa.   
  
“More than that,” he says, his voice deep and collected, sounding somewhat like Minho, Jisung notices. “They called you a week before they randomly showed up, almost two months ago.” 

Hongjoong nods, groaning in annoyance. “There was that! They called, and came here unannounced just because they think they’re big shots. Don’t they think they’re big shots?” he directs his question at Minho who just nods as he nibbles on a cookie. “They think they’re important.” Minho mumbles, validating Hongjoong’s case. “See? So, they showed up, their boss and three of them, thinking they were intimidating. They showed me your file, your picture, explained the information you have could ruin everyone’s business. I told them I would hardly be affected by it…”

“You told their boss to shove the file up his ass,” Seonghwa reminds him, but Hongjoong chooses to ignore that piece of information. Jisung and Minho don’t, they exchange a funny look with Seonghwa. Chan coughs, trying to hide his giggles, and Hongjoong continues. “They offered us a lot of money to catch you. They were very demanding and adamant we should help, because they think we’re like brothers. I didn’t even know about them until they found my phone number and thought it was okay to call me. Like, couldn’t they message first? Telegram, have they ever heard of it?” He angrily munches on a cookie. “They offered us 8 billion won. I gave them Miroh’s business card, told them you’d be more interested.”

Chan sighs heavily and Jisung lets out a long “oooh!”, because now it makes sense how they ended up on the jopok’s contact list. “So you sent us the assholes, noted.” Jisung chuckles and Hongjoong shrugs with a smirk. 

“Wait.” Minho says, making everyone look at him. “I’m worth 8 billion won? Why in the hell are you all keeping me alive?”   
  
“Actually,” Chan says, “they offered me just one million. And I thought that was a good offer already.”

“You were going to kill me for one million won when I’m actually worth eight billion? You’re so dumb.” Minho shakes his head and sips his tea. Jisung laughs, he can’t help resting a hand on Minho’s tight. When he thinks about it, it’s so obvious the reason why he fell for this man, he’s too funny, too unpredictable. There isn’t a single second of boredom around him, and Minho is so, so full of life and goodness. He doesn’t deserve to go yet, he doesn’t deserve to die like this. They deserve more time.

He’s so lost in thought he didn’t realize Chan scoffed and Hongjoong was busy trying to stop laughing, Seonghwa serving himself more tea and watching in amusement. Minho’s hand covers his, and they intertwine their fingers. They’re safe here, it seems. Jisung makes a mental note to apologize to Chan later.

Hongjoong finally stops laughing and raises his hand to have everyone’s eyes on him. “But listen, we have a plan. I talked to Seonghwa, and we think there’s a way to get them off Minho’s back for good. Miroh Corp will go m.i.a, stop answering their calls. I will call the bastard tonight, I’ll them him Minho is stupid. I’ll tell him Minho knows he’s being targeted, that he came looking for us to give him protection, and offered me the files in exchange for that. He wants that flash drive more than anything, that’s the bait. I will tell him I have it and that I have Minho and I can hand both to him.” He pauses to look at them, and Jisung looks around to see everyone nodding along, including Minho. So Hongjoong continues. “We have this warehouse in the outskirts of the city, an isolated place. We will tell him to meet us there, and then we set up the stage: Minho tied to a chair, looking beat up, ready to be dealt with. He takes the bait, we end him instead.”

“I have a question,” Jisung chimes in. “What if he shoots Minho?”    
  
“Valid question. But he won’t.” Seonghwa smiles. “We have the details figured out to make it a safe plan for everyone. We will need Jisung inside the warehouse with Minho while everyone else and Chan…” Seonghwa looks at Chan, their eyes find each other and Jisung can tell there is a small particle of distaste between them. “Chan will be with us outside.”

Chan nods. “Cool. I can do that. I think it’s a great plan, did you come up with it together?” he asks, eyes still on Seonghwa, who smiles and rests his arm around Hongjoong’s shoulder. “We often do. It’s easier, more pleasant, too.”

Hongjoong looks like he found something very interesting in the cookie he was eating. “We’re thinking about putting the plan in action tomorrow night already. What do you think? Are you free tomorrow night?” He asks, looking around the table.

“I don’t know,” Minho sighs loudly, “I need to check my schedule, I’m a very busy person.” And Jisung is pretty sure everyone would’ve thought he was being serious if he hadn’t laughed at his friend-with-benefits joke.

They talk for a while longer, and Hongjoong tells them they should spend the night there, where he knows they’re safe. Jisung has a feeling he’s talking more about Chan being safe than Minho and him. He doesn’t comment on it, and neither does Seonghwa, who seems to sense something too. Hongjoong shows them around, shows them the kitchen in case they feel hungry at some point, and a suite with a king sized bed. “I thought you two wouldn’t see a problem in sharing a bed”, he adds with a knowing smirk. Jisung glares at Chan, pretty sure he said too much. “Mine and Seonghwa’s bedroom is the last one down the corridor, black doors, you won’t miss it. Knock if you need anything.”

“What about Chan hyung’s?” It’s Minho who asks, he seems to be catching up on things just as much as Jisung is. Hongjoong shrugs. “He can sleep on the couch downstairs.”   
  
“Hey!” Chan bumps his shoulder with Hongjoong’s and both laugh. Funny how only now Jisung noticed they’re the same height. “His bedroom is the next one after yours, don’t worry.” Hongjoong points to the door. “If you hear noises at night, don’t mind it, ignore it. My boys don’t sleep early, and the two loudest ones will be here only after two.”

  
  


If there was one thing Jisung missed, it was the quality time under a nice shower. The one they had in the dormitory was very basic, no water pressure, just enough to get clean. Now this, the one in the mansion, that was a good shower, pretty similar to what he had in his own apartment. His hair is still damp when he leaves the bathroom, he let Minho shower first so he could take his time. When he walks in the room, Minho is standing on the threshold of the door to the balcony, his shoulder resting against the frame, listening to something outside. The moment he sees Jisung he presses his index finger to his own lips, smirking just a tiny bit, signaling him to stay quiet and join him. Jisung throws the towel over a chair and walks towards him, hearing the same thing as him. 

There are two distinct voices outside, walking around the garden the balcony faces. They can hear two sets of footsteps crackling when the small stones are crushed, and when they giggle they’re unmistakably Chan and Hongjoong.

Minho raises his eyebrows at Jisung and mouths a “want to listen?” And of course he answers with an eager nod. Together, and looking more like they share the same cursed brain cell, they fall to a crouched position and approach the railing, watching their backs as they walk slowly. It’s funny, because they have clearly showered and changed clothes too, and Hongjoong looks nothing like the intimidating mob boss they met earlier. His hair is down, and he’s wearing a light colored sleeveless shirt, his tattoos covering both his arms, with dark loose pajama pants. Chan is most likely wearing something he borrowed, cause his t-shirt is also light colored, and his shorts have a pattern he would never wear, not even to sleep. Chan is broader, and probably stronger because Hongjoong stumbles when they playfully bump shoulders. They stop walking when they reach a mimosa tree closer to the balcony Jisung is hiding with Minho.

“Isn’t it tragic that your first sleep over at my place is happening because we’re killing people tomorrow?” It’s Hongjoong that says, he leans down and picks one of the flowers that fell from the tree. “I really need someone to come trim this grass next week, look at this disaster…”

Chan laughs softly, watching Hongjoong with a somewhat fond look. “My first and probably my only sleep over at your place. We don’t know what tomorrow holds.” Hongjoong shakes his head and kind of throws the dead flower at him. “Nobody on our side is getting hurt. This is the one thing I can assure you.”   
The sigh Chan lets out is audible. Jisung and Minho share a look, their hands finding each other in the dark and their looks falling back on the other two. “But what about after that? What if they come at you?”   
Hongjoong laughs and shakes his head. “For what? Betrayal?” He looks down, hands on his own waist. “It doesn’t work like that, I have a strong name out there. And even if they do come at me, I’ll be fine. You know I’m a tough cookie, right?” He grins and punches Chan’s shoulder. He doesn’t have the time to pull his hand away, Chan takes it in his and holds it. His other hand find Hongjoong’s cheek, his thumb caressing his cheekbone. “I’m not questioning your strength, your ability to get away with almost everything. I know you’re smart, and you can read people well, but someday you might cross someone just as strong, just as smart. Then what?”   
“Then I’ll make sure I’m smarter, stronger, and I’ll strike first.” He chuckles. “Don’t spend your time worrying about me, please.” He takes the wrist of the hand on his face and pulls Chan’s hand down. “Seonghwa worries enough.” Chan’s face falls and Hongjoong takes a step back. “Try to sleep, you damn insomniac. Tomorrow we’ll have a busy day!”   
As he watches Hongjoong walk away, Chan rests his back against the tree trunk, both hands covering his face for a few seconds. He sighs and walks away, presumably to his room to do as Hongjoong suggested.   
  
Jisung looks at Minho when they’re back inside the bedroom, but are wide eyed and pensieve. “Do you think…” Jisung starts and Minho nods. “Yes. I think we just saw Chan hung get lowkey rejected. But they seem to have history.”   
He nods, agreeing. “I feel bad for Chan hyung, but what did he expect? Hongjoong and Seonghwa are a thing, right?” Minho nods, and Jisung continues. “Well, at least Hongjoong seems to know what he’s doing.”   
  
  


They spend the day practicing what to do when the time comes. The jopok from the Gimpo clan won’t get to the warehouse until late at night, and the mansion is big enough to have both Chan’s and Hongjoong’s people. All in all, they get along. Hongjoong and his team will be on the front line, while the Miroh Corp boys stay hiding as their backup in case something goes wrong. Except for Chan and Jisung, who will be Minho’s personal backup inside the warehouse.

“The most important things are: we can’t let anyone get away, and we have to be fast.” Seonghwa says while he hands them bulletproof vests. “Don’t get hurt, if you feel like they’re getting the best of us, retreat.”   
  


Hongjoong gives Chan and Jisung pointed looks. “Did you hear him? Do as Seonghwa says.” And Jisung is under the impression he saw Chan roll his eyes. It takes them a long time to get there, the warehouse stands in a deserted area, no houses or civilization around, just vegetation. It’s big, empty, and old. If asked, Jisung would say it had seen a handful of crimes already, and tonight was just another day. 

They fake tie Minho to a chair, and Jisung takes his position on the second floor, behind some boxes and a pillar, from where he can see Minho perfectly, but can’t be seen by anyone. Jisung is nervous, he thinks everyone probably is too. This plan has the potential to be amazing, to go right in every way, but if one single thing goes wrong, it’s over.   
In the end, they decided the mob boss should get in the warehouse by himself, since they have Jisung there to deal with him and Minho has a gun on him too.    
  
After he hears the cars arriving, everything happens too fast.   
There are voices outside, laughter and praises when the Gimpo jopok attest the flash drive is genuine. The walls are thin, Jisung hears exactly when Hongjoong tells the man - Mr. Kim, he calls him - that he can have Minho to himself. He says he’s beat up, but still alive. Mr. Kim answers he won’t be alive for too long, and Jisung’s stomach turns.    
  
Mr. Kim walks in, Mingi and Yunho close the warehouse’s door behind him. From where Jisung is, he can see he’s a tall, well-built man, wearing a dark grey suit and holding a pistol. He says something to Minho, who had his head down and now looks up at him a little.   
  
Jisung just needs Mr. Kim to stop walking.    
  
“...pathetic. You really thought you’d get away with this, didn’t you? You killed my best man, scared the other shitless, made people think you were worth something.” Mr. Kim says, looking disgusted as he stops right in front of Minho. That’s his cue, Jisung thinks.

But Minho chuckles, like the whole situation is funny to him. “I don’t know, sir. I heard I’m worth eight billion won, you know…”

Mr.Kim is taken aback, clearly. He frowns and makes a confused sound. “Who told you?” He groans, getting the pistol ready.   
  
Jisung aims. The head.   
  
“I heard someone say.” Minho shrugs, his voice calm as always. One would think his life wasn’t on the line. “It was a cat, I think. A very mischievous cat, sir.”   
  


Jisung’s palms are sweating. His heart is beating so fast he is sure they can hear it downstairs.

It’s clear that’s the moment Mr.Kim realizes he’s been played. His face contorts in fury, he raises his pistol and Jisung knows he doesn’t have time.   
  
He shoots.

Everything else happens at the same time: Mr. Kim’s body hitting the floor, Minho grunting in disgust because organic things splash on him, gunshots and screams outside. Jisung runs down the creaky metal stairs towards Minho to help him stand up without getting tangled in the ropes. There’s blood and some more things on his face, his hair, his clothes, and all Jisung wants to do is clean him up.

Minho has other plans, though, because he pulls Jisung closer and kisses him with so much passion he feels dizzy. He parts his lips and tangles his fingers on Minho’s hair, and it’s weird and gross to press their bodies together in that situation, but for a second he doesn’t think about it. When they pull apart for air, Minho smirks. “Told you! You’re a hot hitman.” Jisung laughs and slaps his arm. “Weirdo.”   
  
Outside, the sounds start to slowly fade. As instructed, they wait until the doors to the warehouse are opened again. Facing them are Chan and the Miroh crew. Behind them they can see Hongjoong’s boys moving around while he shouts them some orders. “It’s over. I’m starving,” a loud voice can be heard among them as Changbin and Chan finish opening the warehouse doors. It’s Mingi - one of the tall guards - that stops what he’s doing to look at Jisung and Minho. He laughs, smiling bright like a kid. “Geez, you look like you’ve seen better days, Minho. But yeah, I’m starving, how do you guys feel about pizza? It’s on me.”

What they do after that is a tactic. They fit the cars the Gimpo clan used, the corpses and all their belongings inside the warehouse. Seungmin insists Minho needs to change clothes and leave the ones he’s wearing inside the warehouse too,  _ because it’s biohazard! _

He’s lucky San had spares with him.

  
  


True to his word, Mingi orders pizza. Felix is more than happy to help him carry the boxes to the party room, where little by little the ones that needed to shower start to pile up. Jisung didn’t realize he was hungry until he had his first bite, finally having some time to relax and catch up with Hyunjin. The long haired man tells him all about China, and how was his mission, sometimes getting interrupted by loud laughs from other people talking, sometimes losing track of what he’s saying. Minho takes a long time in the shower, he was the most affected by blood, waste and body parts. When he’s back, he takes the seat Jisung saved him, instantly digging in. If he didn’t know better, Jisung would say this was a big group of friends having a pizza night together. But there’s more to it, he can’t help looking around and wondering how much those boys had seen, how far they had gone. In the end, they’re all the same, aren’t they? Different names, same business.   
  
“What are you thinking about?” Minho asks him, kissing his cheek. Jisung smiles and looks at him, shaking his head. “Just how in the end, we’re all the same,” he admits. Minho nods, because he knows what Jisung means. He understands.

They’re all taken by surprise when Hongjoong arrives and places a big duffel bag in front of Minho, then hands him the flash drive that started all this. “I believe this belongs to you.”

Jisung looks from Minho to Hongjoong, and then the duffel bag. It couldn't be, could it? And when Minho unzips it, eyes growing wide and mouth hanging open, he knows. “You’re worth eight billion won, aren’t you?” the jopok boss grins and sits back. “You should keep it. You will need it, and besides, they stole your childhood. To keep their money is the least you can do for everything they put you through. And you,” he points to Chan, “now it’s the time you protect your own.”

Chan nods. “I’ve been thinking about it, Miroh Corp can’t stay where it is.”   
  
“Listen.” Hongjoong shakes his head in disapproval. “You can’t stay here. Minho has eight billion won in that bag, your bank account isn’t empty either, Yeosang checked for me-”   
  
“Yeosang what? That’s illegal!” Chan screams out of impulse, but blushes and facepalms when everyone else’s looks fall on him. “Nevermind, go on.”

Hongjoong giggles. “One day, this friend I had when I was young and stupid, he told me there’s a place where the sun shines brighter, and the beaches are beautiful. He said there were wonders in this place you couldn’t find anywhere else, and he missed it there. You should consider packing up in the next couple days, along with the people you hold close.”   
  
Jisung looks at Chan, and then at Felix who looks like there are fireworks in his eyes. He knows they both love Australia, that’s how they bonded. He knows Chan left when he was young, he doesn’t know how young. He knows what Hongjoong is suggesting, and he knows why he is suggesting it: this isn’t over. The Seoul clan bought them time, but there will be retaliation, they will still have to pay for this. “Will you come? Will you all come with us?” Jisung already knows the answer, but he asks anyway. Minho squeezes his hand when Hongjoong shakes his head no, and Chan stops eating. 

“Keep the flash drive.” Minho says, handing it to Hongjoong. “I know it’s not much, but you probably looked at it. You know the information in it is not restricted to Gimpo, or Seoul. Use it in your favor, it’s the least I can do to thank you for everything.”   
  
And Jisung agrees, and he’s proud of Minho. 

  
  


Felix insisted they needed to go to the office one last time because he wouldn’t leave without his computer. Jisung had to drag him out of the building because his friend insisted he could fit his disassembled chair in his luggage. It had been three days since they had dinner at the mansion, and Jisung managed to rent his apartment for a whole year to a recently married couple. Minho looked upset to leave college, but Chan assured him he could complete it in Australia, he would help him with English. He visited the café one last time, and the cat he rescued was getting better and better, Minhyuk and Hoseok promised to send him pictures and updates about her.

All in all, Jisung felt like he had the chance to breathe fresh air for the first time in his life. Leaving felt like the best thing he had ever done. They bid their goodbyes to the jopok via video call, in the airport. Hongjoong was the only one there, looking nothing like the first day they saw him. In regular clothes, hair down and glasses he looked like a little punk. 

They stood at the departure lounge, all together, the first call for boarding the plane had been made. “Go on and make sure none of those fuckers steal our seats!” Jisung tells Minho, who barely nods, distracted by Jeongin telling him some embarrassing story involving Hyunjin. 

“A smart man once told me everybody deserves a second chance, you know?” Jisung says and Hongjoong smiles at him fondly. He can relate to the feeling, he has known this man for a few days, and he became such a big part of his life. 

“The man who told you that is a very smart one,” Hongjoong says. “And I agree with him, everybody deserves a second chance. Sadly, some people are not eligible for a second chance, so make yours count, Sungie.” He smiles and pats his shoulder. Through the corner of his eyes Jisung sees Chan approaching, he stops when he’s with them and stands next to him. Chan looks at Hongjoong and lets out a breath he had probably been holding for some time. “So that’s it. That’s how it ends.”

Hongjoong nods. “It was a wild ride, since day one.” He smirks and Chan chuckles. “Not a single second of boredom around you, Christopher Chan Bang.”

Jisung feels uncomfortable and like he’s watching something too intimate, but his curiosity doesn’t let him step away. Not too much, he takes a step back just enough to watch Chan’s eyes sparkle when he uses one hand to cup Hongjoong’s face. “I’m going to miss everything, specially y-“

“Me too. A whole country and it will feel empty without you.” He smiles and covers Chan’s hand with his. “Don’t stray, no more crimes. Not everyone has the chance to start over, use it in your favor.”

“You should come with us, Joong.” Chan sighs, but Hongjoong shakes his head and smiles that polite, enigmatic smile. 

“I have unfinished business. I have my boys.” He takes Chan’s hand that was on his cheek and pulls it away, holding it between them. “Make good choices. Now go, you don’t want to miss your flight.”

Chan nods and smiles at Jisung. “I’m going. We will make the best out of this, right, Sungie?” He nods, trying to smile back. Chan’s eyes look sad, Hongjoong’s eyes look empty. “Joong, you know, right?”

Hongjoong rolls his eyes and grins. “I know, I’ve always known. I can only thank you for it, even after all these years. You deserve better, and you can’t argue with me.” He drops Chan’s hand and then shoos them away. “Go! Go! Go!” 

They all laugh and walk towards the line to get in the plane. Jisung knows he should leave it alone, he knows he should shut his mouth and go, but he doesn’t. “Chan hyung, don’t leave regrets behind.” They both stop walking and Chan looks at him, blinks a few times and hands him his duffel bag. “It will take me just a second, I promise. If I get sniped for this, don’t stay, just go!” He says and starts to walk back towards Hongjoong. Jisung doesn’t know if he’s joking about the sniping part, but he really hopes he is. He can’t hear what Chan tells Hongjoong, he just sees his eyes grow in surprise. He doesn’t resist Chan’s arm circling his waist, and he doesn’t push Chan away when he gets kissed so desperately it could be a movie scene. Jisung knows he shouldn’t think it’s cute that Hongjoong’s fists close on Chan’s shirt, and that he kisses him back, but he does. Nobody gets killed by a sniper, and they don’t exchange a word after Chan pulls away and walks back to Jisung. He takes his duffel bag, shows the flight attendant their boarding tickets and passports and are soon walking to the plane. 

“Hyung,” Jisung calls and Chan gives him the ‘no questions’ look. “How does it feel to kiss someone with a vertical labret piercing?” He asks anyway, and it feels good to hear Chan’s laugh. 

“It’s cool, feels nice. But the tongue piercing feels even nicer,” he wiggles his eyebrows. Jisung stops walking and Chan glances at him. “You didn’t notice? His tongue is pierced too.” He turns around and keeps walking. Jisung thinks he needs to have one nice talk with Minho during this ten-hour flight.

Jisung finds his seat between Minho and the window. Seungmin is sitting beside Minho, and the other boys are scattered around, close to them. “You have no idea how hot the tea I have to share!” he whispers to Minho as soon as he buckles his belt.

“Before you share the tea, tell your boyfriend he needs to learn how to share the armrest!” Seungmin hisses and Minho huffs, turning to Jisung. “What’s his name again? I don’t like him.” he points his thumb to Seungmin.

“Hey, I’m right here!” Seungmin protests but Jisung just rolls his eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend!” At that both Minho and Seungmin frown, blinking at him. “What? You never asked, Minho!”

Minho blinks a few times, confused. “Then what am I? A friend you casually sleep with? You know what, I’m not asking. From today on you’re my boyfriend.”

“I’m not complaining.” Jisung smiles. “Oh, the tea!”

Seungmin stands up abruptly, looking around. “Hyunjin, change seats with me, please.”

  
  
  
  
  


“It’s Soonie, Doongie and Dori.” Minho says, for the tenth time, to Changbin. They’re sitting on the floor with the cats Minho adopted, and Changbin is having a hard time identifying them. It’s been eight months since they moved to Australia, and things couldn’t be more calm. They opted to share a house near the beach, assuming it would keep them safer. Jisung and Minho share a room with the cats, which are the reason Hyunjin is always sneezing. 

Felix got a new, improved gamer chair from Minho. It took him weeks to admit he was the one who gave it to Felix, but he gave up trying to hide when the younger offered him homemade cookies to thank him.

Chan kept his promise. They were all done with illegal activities, and opened a small Korean pub where they all worked. 

Today they had the day off, with Changbin, who was done trying to memorize the cats’ names. He stands up and passes by Jisung on his way to the kitchen. 

Jisung sits next to Minho on the floor and pulls Doongie to his lap. “He will memorize it, give him time.” Minho smiles, running his fingers down Dori’s fur while Soonie naps on his lap. “Have I ever told you that you trying to kill me was the best thing that happened to me?”

Jisung is taken aback, surprised by the sudden confession. Minho doesn’t do this, he uses action instead of words, but sometimes words are appreciated. He kisses his boyfriend’s cheek and lays his head on his shoulder. “Not killing you was the best thing I ever did.”

Jisung is happy. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/br0kenc0mpasss)! <3


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